


The Telepaths of Xaria

by Rasallon



Series: The Timeless War [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Doctor Who (TV Movie 1996), Doctor Who: Eighth Doctor Adventures - Various Authors
Genre: Parallel Universes, Time Travel, Time War, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:00:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27726514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rasallon/pseuds/Rasallon
Summary: The Doctor and Rose, fleeing from the Time lord controlled Earth, crash land on the peaceful planet of Xaria, a planet of telepaths. But what happens if one can’t control their natural gifts?
Series: The Timeless War [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022316
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

It was peaceful on Xaria. Sarene was working in her garden, tidying up the flower beds. The garden had become unruly over the cold months, and she was determined to return it to some level of order. 

She had just finished tidying the border of the main flower bed when she heard a boom followed by a loud whistling. She stood up, closing her upper set of eyes and squinted her lower set to look into the brightening sky. She adjusted her scarf as she saw a red flame stretching across the sky. 

As she watched it grew bigger and closer. The flames doused and now she could see faintly a blue object screeching through the sky. It got closer, and closer, and closer. Too close. Sarene would have run, but now the object was almost upon her, ready to plow into the ground.

She ducked, but then watched as the blue box suddenly arced upwards, narrowly missing the roof of her cottage. She could hear the cries of alarm from the village echoing in her head, but she blocked them out. She heard a loud crash and ran for the village. 

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The Doctor, Rose and the TARDIS all groaned. Steam rose from the rotors, and the room had fallen into almost complete darkness, only the faint blue of overhead lights illuminating the room. 

‘Is it always like this?’ Rose asked, propping herself up on her elbows and trying her best to stop the room spinning. 

‘Sometimes,’ the Doctor moaned from beside her. ‘But normally our landings are much smoother,’ he said and slowly got to his feet.

When Rose felt confident she could stand up without tripping over her own feet she clambered up using the console as leverage. The singing in her head had faded, and now when she touched the console all she could feel was the alarmingly warm woodwork. 

The Doctor was working at the controls, and managed to coax the scanner into life. It resolved into a blue screen with white text proclaiming that they had landed on the planet Xaria in the year 3457, Rassilon Era. 

‘Are we on another planet?’ Rose asked. 

‘Looks like it,’ the Doctor said. 

Despite herself, Rose grinned. ‘That’s so cool!’ 

The Doctor looked at her and smiled, his own excitement getting the better of him. ‘I know.’ 

He reached across the console and pulled a lever. The TARDIS doors creaked, one sticking and grinding before managing to open all the way.

‘Shall we have a look?’ he asked. Rose’s smile broadened further and she grabbed his hand, pulling a slightly surprised Doctor behind her.

‘Normally, I am the one doing the hand pulling,’ he protested as Rose ran forward.


	2. Chapter 2

They emerged into bright sunshine. The air was clean and clear, the complete opposite of London. Around them clustered quaint cottages with simple but tidy dirt paths marking the way around what Rose assumed was a village. 

She then noticed the villagers themselves. Purple skinned with four eyes, one set above the other, all wearing variations of the same flowing gown, which stopped just short of touching the ground. And finally Rose noticed the dirt and clumps of grass that were thrown up in every direction. 

She looked back to the TARDIS, at a slight angle and very much the center of the chaos. What looked like a water fountain had been smashed to rubble by the crash of the time machine. The Doctor stood just outside, straightening his suit in an effort to look composed. 

‘Hello there, apologies about your fountain. We’ll pay for the damages, that’s if you have a concept of...money,’ The Doctor trailed off at the blank stares of the purple skinned aliens. ‘Anyway! I am the Doctor, and my friend here is Rose. We’re just passing through,’ he finished then awkwardly coughed. 

One of the aliens came closer. She was shorter than the rest and had a pair of glasses perched on her face, which was some feat seeing as how none of the aliens had noses, just diagonal slits in the middles of their faces. 

‘The...Doctor?’ the alien said, her voice was soft and lilting. 

‘Yes, have you heard of me?’ the Doctor replied, stepping closer. The alien shook her head.

‘Not of you specifically, but we know of doctors. Of healers,’ she explained. The Doctor nodded.

‘Why, do you need a doctor?’ Rose asked, crouching slightly to meet the diminutive alien face to face. Doing her best not to freak out. A real alien. Yes the Time Lords were aliens but they looked human. The villagers looked… alien. Up close Rose got a faint hint of lavender surrounding the villager.

‘I, it’s probably best to explain over a cup of tea,’ the alien said. 

‘Tea sounds wonderful Miss…’ The Doctor said.

‘Sarene,’ she said. 

‘Sarene, beautiful name,’ The Doctor said smiling softly. Sarene echoed his smile then gestured them on. 

They passed through the villagers, who milled about, giving alternating glances to the strange blue box and the strange new visitors. Rose smiled awkwardly and waved whenever she made eye contact with one of them. 

‘My home is just along this lane,” Sarene explained. Rose frowned and leaned closer to the Doctor.

‘Doctor, how is she speaking English?’ She asked. The Doctor chuckled softly.

‘She’s not,’ he replied. Rose’s frown deepened.

‘Yes, she is,’ she challenged. The Doctor smirked.

‘She’s speaking her native tongue. The TARDIS is translating for you. We’re speaking her language right now,’ he said. Rose’s eyes widened. 

‘Your ship can do that?’ She asked. He nodded. Rose scowled. ‘How?’

‘She sort of gets inside your head,’ the Doctor said. 

‘When we get back you, me and your machine are going to have words about personal space,’ Rose growled and the Doctor’s smile vanished and he looked away, suddenly intensely interested in a particular cloud in the sky.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

They reached the cottage not long after, and Sarene showed them in. It was small, barely big enough to fit a fireplace, the light from which cast the cottage with soft warm light, with an armchair and sofa surrounding it. A kitchen was clustered in the far corner and a bed in the other corner. Rose and the Doctor sat on the sofa and Sarene took the armchair. She reached over to the fireplace and poured water from a nearby pitcher into a small pot above the fire. 

They were quiet as the water boiled. Sarene fetched some tea cups and once the water was boiled she poured water in each one. She added a few leaves into the mix and stirred. She handed two of the cups to Rose and the Doctor. 

‘So, tell me, why do you need a doctor?’ the Doctor asked as Rose examined her tea cautiously. Sarene sighed heavily.

‘My race are telepaths,’ she began. Rose’s eyebrow shot up. She remembered hearing about telepaths on TV. 

‘And the tea is perfectly safe,’ Sarene said with a soft smile. 

‘Did you just read my mind?’ Rose asked, scowling. The little alien giggled. 

‘No, I read your face,’ she said. Beside her the Doctor chuckled again and Rose shot him with a glare until he shut up. She took a sip of the tea, and was pleasantly surprised at a taste not unlike strawberries. 

‘Anyway,’ The Doctor said, trying to steer the conversation which had barely begun back on track. Sarene nodded and began again.

‘My race are telepaths. For the most part this causes us no problems. We long since came to the understanding we have no secrets from each other. But every now and then one of us is born who is..different,’ she explained.

‘Different how?’ The Doctor asked leaning closer, his tea ignored. 

‘Sometimes one is born who has… trouble with their telepathic abilities. Sometimes they have none at all, and other times their natural ability is too, overwhelming,’ she said. 

‘So, what happened?’ Rose asked. Sarene let out a breath.

‘My brother. For years we thought he simply didn’t have the ability. Frankly we were just glad he was alive, it was a difficult pregnancy for our mother. However as the years progressed he became more and more withdrawn. Until one night he broke down, screaming about the voices inside his head,’ she sighed and took a sip of tea. 

‘We worked with him, to try and help him understand and come to terms with his new ability, but to no avail. Every day he was in pain, his head filled with other people’s voices. He wasn’t used to it like we were, so he had no way to ignore the thoughts of others. He was starting to lose himself, he didn’t know what were his thoughts and what were the thoughts of everyone else. Eventually we took him to a cabin away from the population where he could rest. He’s been there ever since, for the past four years. Shut off and isolated from the world.’ She leaned back in her chair and sagged slightly. 

‘You want to help him cope with his telepathy?’ Rose asked. Sarene nodded. 

‘We’ve tried healers from all over our world, but they can’t help him. Can you?’ she asked, sitting up straighter and looking at them both with desperation in all four eyes.

‘We can certainly try,’ The Doctor said. 


	3. Chapter 3

A few hours later the Doctor and Rose were walking down a narrow country path, they were surrounded by a thick blanket of trees on either side. The sunlight was filtered through the overhanging tree branches and birds twittered peacefully. 

‘So, is this how it works then?’ Rose asked.

‘What?’

‘Space travel.’

‘Usually. Though there is often more running,’ the Doctor replied, then whistled along with the tune of the birds. 

‘So, you just land on a planet and help them if they ask for help?’ Rose continued.

‘Yes. Well, I used to,’ he replied as his whistling faltered slightly and he stopped walking. He frowned and put a hand to his forehead. 

‘You okay?’ Rose asked. She put a hand on his shoulder, he shook his head briefly then straightened up.

‘I’m fine. Must just be a headache from the crash,’ he replied and started walking again.

‘Speaking of which, can the Time Lords follow us here?’ Rose asked. The Doctor shrugged.

‘I honestly don’t know. Whatever happened in the TARDIS flung us far across time and space. They’d have a job trying to trace exactly where we ended up,’ he said. They fell back into silence and continued.

An hour later a small cabin came into view in a clearing in the woods. It looked frayed at the edges but otherwise well kept. As they got closer Rose could see a garden stretching around the back and meeting the edge of the clearing. She could see flowers of all kinds, most distinctly alien, and every plant, every flower bed was meticulously maintained.

The front door opened as they approached and a small figure emerged. He held a hand to his head and winced. The Doctor leaned closer.

‘Try to keep your thoughts to a minimum,’ he said. Rose scowled at him.

‘And how do I do that, oh, mystical Lord of Time?’ Rose asked.

‘Sarcasm is unbecoming, Ms Tyler. Just focus on your breathing,’ he replied. Rose did that, focusing only on each breath as it came. In. Out. In. Out. She became so focused on that she almost missed when the Doctor spoke. Huh, so that’s how meditation was supposed to go.

‘Hello. Boros is it?’ he asked. 

The alien nodded. ‘Yes, what do you want?’ His voice was strained. 

‘To help,’ the Doctor said softly. ‘Your sister, Sarene sent us.’ 

Boros squinted, obviously sceptical. 

‘We already tried every healer on the planet, now go away. Your thoughts are...hurting,’ Boros winced and steadied himself against the doorframe. Rose felt a pang of sympathy for the diminutive alien, but even that thought seemed to cause him pain.

‘Ah, but we’re not from this world, and I have these!’ The Doctor said, producing a pair of earmuffs. Before they set off he had quickly run to the TARDIS, Rose was convinced he would leave her there but was even more confused when he came out brandishing a pair of ordinary-looking earmuffs. 

The Doctor carefully placed the earmuffs over Boros’s head. The effect was immediate. Boros straightened up and looked as though, for the first time in his life, he could relax.

‘What did you do?’ he asked, his voice dreamlike. 

‘Telepathic dampers. Only a temporary fix mind you,’ The Doctor said, a small smile on his face. He was enjoying this. 

‘I can only hear my thoughts. Even this far out I could still hear everyone in the village,’ Boros stepped out the door and looked around. 

‘Why didn’t you move further out?’ Rose asked. 

‘If I did, I would be completely cut off. Sarene does her best, delivering me supplies, and seeds for my garden,’ Boros said, gesturing to the expansive garden surrounding his small property. ‘She never stays long, she can’t. It would hurt too much. I haven’t seen her face in years.’

‘If you’d come with us, we can help you properly,’ the Doctor said. Boros shook his head.

‘What’s wrong with the damper things?’ he cried, panicking and clutching the headgear.

‘For one,’ the Doctor began softly, ‘They only have limited power and once me and my friend are gone, you have no way to charge them. Secondly, you can’t go around wearing them all day, you’d look daft,` the Doctor finished with a smile. 

Boros gave him an offended frown.

`Bit rude, Doctor,’ Rose admonished. The Time Lord blinked in surprise.

‘Was it? I am so sorry. They don’t look daft, in fact, they are rather fetching, in a Princess Leia kind of way,’ he said, rushing over his words.

‘Who?` Rose and Boros asked simultaneously, before exchanging amused glances. The Doctor’s face fell.

‘And this is why we need to fix everything, Rose Tyler. You’re missing out,` he sighed heavily. Rose had an urge to pat him on the head, like a sad puppy but resisted the mad impulse. 

‘Anyway, back to the TARDIS, our ship. She’s parked in the village,’ the Doctor said. 

Boros started shaking. ‘No, I can’t go back there! My head will burn!’ he shouted, arms cradling his head. 

‘Boros, that device on your head will keep you mostly protected, it might be slightly irritating but you’ll be safe,’ the Doctor said softly. 

Boros looked at Rose. ‘I saw your thoughts,’ he said. ‘He’s a stranger to you too. Do you trust him?’ 

Rose looked at the Doctor, shifting a little uncomfortably. ‘I’m getting there,’ she said. ‘But I know he genuinely wants to help you, and I think he can, better than anyone else. He brought you those earmuffs didn’t he?’

Boros nodded and squared his shoulders, mouth trembling a little. ‘Then let’s go,’ he said. ‘But quickly, please.’


	4. Chapter 4

They entered the village. Boros had grown increasingly nervous as they approached, and now his eyes darted around, and it seemed to be taking all his strength not to run. Rose placed a hand on his back then offered her hand.

‘Focus on me,’ she said, stopping them. She looked him in the eyes. ‘Focus on my hand in yours. There is only you and me, and together we are safe. Understand?’ Boros nodded and smiled a small grateful smile.

They began walking again, moving briskly. The Doctor was in front, marching with purpose. A few of the villagers were working around the TARDIS, sweeping the dirt back off the path and taking the pieces of the broken fountain and placing it into wheelbarrows.

Boros winced and some of the villagers turned to look at him. There was no malice in their expression, not pity. They seemed almost mournful. Rose could feel it in the air, a palpable sense of failure. Their failure to help Boros. 

‘Doctor, it’s, it’s too much!’ Boros cried out and almost fell, but Rose kept him standing, supporting him as best she could. 

‘Come on, Boros, not much further!’ The Doctor pointed to the TARDIS. She could feel the ship calling out to them, that soft song in the back of her mind. Boros shook his head and this time he collapsed completely, his hand wrenched from her grip. The Doctor started forward but Rose simply scooped Boros up and began to carry him to the TARDIS. She winced and almost dropped him, the pain in her wrist flaring up. But she gritted her teeth and growled;

‘Doctor. Doors.’ 

The Doctor nodded and darted forward. Boros cried out and his hands flew to the sides of his head, pinning the headset to his head. His teeth were gritted in pain. Rose kept marching on as the Doctor flung the doors open and disappeared inside. 

Rose stepped across the threshold and the doors slammed shut behind her, shifting from the police box doors to the heavy metal doors of the interior. As the doors boomed shut, Boros sighed. Rose crossed to the armchair near the bookcases and placed her charge in the seat.

She crossed back to the TARDIS, still stood at the doors. He smiled. 

‘Good job out there. What was that thing with the hand holding?’ He asked.

‘Sometimes kids would get separated in the shop, it helped calm them down whilst we found their parents,’ Rose explained with a self-conscious smile. 

‘Ms Tyler, you are full of surprises,` he said with a smile then walked across to the central console.

The room was brighter than when they left evidently, the TARDIS had recovered from her raucous entrance. 

‘What is this place?’ Boros asked from his seat. He gazed around in wonderment. Rose stepped closer.

‘This Boros is the TARDIS. I don’t know how it works, and I don’t want to know. But isn’t it amazing?’ she said. Boros grinned at her.

‘And she’s just the person to put you right,’ the Doctor called over from the console. 

‘You speak like it’s alive,’ Boros commented, standing up and heading to the console along with Rose. 

‘Oh, she is,’ the Doctor said emphatically. ‘Utterly and completely alive.` He seemed more energised than Rose had ever seen him. Something about this adventure, helping Boros had woken something within him. He needed to be a hero, Rose realised. She could feel that song again, tingling at the back of her consciousness.

‘What’s that sound?’ Boros asked. The Doctor frowned then closed his eyes and was quiet for a moment. He opened his eyes and smiled. 

‘The voice of the TARDIS. She’s singing to you,’ he said. Rose’s eyes widened.

‘Why?’ Boros asked. ‘It’s beautiful, but why?’ 

The Doctor’s smile turned sad. ‘This old ship has been alone for a very long time. It’s been even longer since someone other than me could hear her song,’ his voice was distant as he regarded the time rotor and patted the console fondly. 

Rose stared at the rotor but shook herself, ‘So, how can she help Boros?’ she asked. The Doctor crossed to a panel and pressed a hidden button along the rim. The panel clicked and lifted away slightly. The Doctor lifted the panel away and placed it against one of the struts. Boros and Rose leaned closer and saw beneath the panel were an array of organic-looking components, all held together with beige coral. 

‘The telepathic interface,` The Doctor said. ‘You see this ship hears everything. Even now she’s inside our heads translating what we are saying to each other.’

‘A discussion we shall be having another time,’ Rose said, giving both the Doctor and his time machine a look. He coughed before continuing.

‘The TARDIS knows how to filter out all that background noise, all the ceaseless chatter,’ he said.

‘So, can everyone else on my planet,’ Boros pointed out.

‘Ah yes, but the TARDIS can do one better, she can show you. Guide you. You just need to place your hands on this panel,’ The Doctor gestured to the exposed coral. Boros looked sceptical. 

‘What have you got to lose?’ Rose offered. Boros considered this then stepped in front of the panel, the Doctor stepping away slightly, but hovering nearby. 

‘Just place your hands on the console. The TARDIS will do the rest,’ he explained. Boros placed his hands gently against the surface and closed his eyes. 

At once the room was filled with a screeching cacophony.

‘Careful, Boros do not take your hands from the console,’ The Doctor warned. He winced but did as instructed. Quickly the voices began to quieten, becoming little more than a murmur.

Around the console, individuals began to fade into view. They were all hazy, with a faint glow surrounding them. They were all different colours and Rose noticed that some shifted between colours and their mouths constantly moved. 

She looked at the one nearest her and noticed that it had the same four eyes and flowing robe as Boros. These were all the thoughts of everyone in the village, maybe even the planet. 

Boros opened his eyes and looked around in wonder. As they watched one of the projections came closer and stopped just before Boros. It was Sarene or at least a representation of her thoughts. She looked sad, and her voice became the only one, still a murmur. 

Boros nodded to himself and then the image of Sarene evaporated. So did all the other projections. Boros removed his hands from the TARDIS and looked at the Doctor and Rose in turn.

‘Thank you,’ he said his voice breaking. 


	5. Chapter 5

Boros, Rose and the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS into the evening sun. The village was as quiet as ever and Boros was happier than he could ever remember being. He looked around with the biggest, silliest smile on his face. 

`Finally, I can live my life,’ he said. ‘Thank you, Doctor, Rose, and TARDIS for your help,’

`Oh, it was nothing, we just helped guide you. The potential to understand was there all along. You just needed the right teacher. All this is you, Boros,’ the Doctor said. 

Quick footsteps echoed through the village and Rose saw Sarene tear round the corner. Boros’s face lit up as Sarene crashed into him and they embraced laughing.

‘Brother! I heard your call. Can you hear us properly now?` she asked. 

‘It’s still a little difficult. I am still getting used to hearing everyone. If I end up back at the cabin now and then, do not be offended. I will just need some alone time,’ he said with a soft smile. Sarene nodded then hugged her brother again.

‘Will you stay with me? Just for a few days, see how it goes?’ she asked with pleading eyes. 

‘I suppose, we have so much to catch up on, and someone needs to sort out your garden,’ Boros teased.

‘I was working on it when our new friends arrived,’ Sarene gestured to Rose and the Doctor. ‘Thank you, the pair of you. You have done more than I can ever repay,’ she said.

‘All in a day's work,’ the Doctor said. 

‘And it was the least we could do after demolishing the village square,’ Rose added with a guilty shrug.

‘Anyway, we must be off,’ The Doctor said, standing up straighter and heading back to the TARDIS. 

‘But must you, Doctor? Why not stay for dinner, as a thank you?’ Sarene asked. 

‘Thank you, but no. Me and Rose need to head on, isn’t that right, Rose?’ the Doctor said with a quizzical eyebrow. Rose frowned then remembered why they were there to begin with. Running from the Time Lords, her home. 

‘Yes, unfortunately he’s right,’ Rose said sadly, then brightened. ‘But maybe we will come back one day?’ she said, looking at the Doctor who shrugged a maybe.

‘Very well, friend,’ Sarene said.

‘But you are always welcome here on Xaria,’ Boros added. Rose and the Doctor smiled and waved goodbye, then stepped inside the TARDIS.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

At the console Rose smiled to herself, then turned her grin on the Doctor. 

‘You needed that, didn’t you?’ she asked. The Doctor looked up at her from across the console.

‘Maybe a little, the old girl always knows where to take me,’ he said, patting the rotor. 

‘So, where now?’ Rose asked. The Doctor smiled.

‘Well, we’ve got a head start on the Time Lords, and I need some time to think. So, anywhere,’ he said and pulled the dematerialisation lever.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Outside Sarene and Boros watched as the lamp on the TARDIS blinked to life and the ship set up a deep thrumming drone. Then with a gust of wind and the groaning of improbable engines the battered blue box faded away.


End file.
